Antique-Gown

Very rare hobble skirt dress, ca. 1913. Dresses of this type were only made and worn for a short time. They are very rare - and even rarer in this elegance. The skirt of these hobble skirt dresses was very tight and floor-length. The eponymous feature is that the wearer could only take small steps in it, meaning they were forced to awkwardly trip or hobble. 

The antique dress bears the label: Grant Bros * Croydon. Croydon is a large town in south London, England. The antique dress is a one-piece. In the course of our long passion for collecting, we have only held two other hobble skirt dresses in our hands. Both without a label. This is the third, and one with a label. It is made from black silk and decorated with lace. The sleeves, stand-up collar and the apron overskirt are made of lace. This (machine-made) lace is inlaid with handmade lace. There are two stylised bunches of grapes on the left and right of the tight skirt. Walkway slit trimmed with black tulle. Black belt with a steel bead buckle. V-neckline on the top. In very good condition. There are a few stains in the lace. Extremely rare dress. The decoration is not included.

Grants department store was founded by Mr Richard Grant and his brother Mr William Grant in 1877, as a modest drapery business at no. 17 Croydon High Street (then No. 8). The family lived above the shop, but within a few years they needed to expand the shop. In a few years the department store had over 60 departments, including Hairdressing Salons, China, Glass, Hardware, Restaurants, and outside catering. Richard Grant died aged 75 in January 1924. William Grant died on the 3rd of March 1931 aged 79. The Grant family sold the store in 1983, and it finally closed in 1987. 

Bust:  ~ 86 cm
Waist: ~ 66 cm
Length: ~ 145 cm

Price: 1.480 Euro